Raynare's POV
The disguised Fallen Angel watched the witcher carry an injured warrior on his shoulders. Nearby, the giant in silver armor carried the teenager wearing a blue uniform in his arms. Vesemir nodded to her, signaling her to follow them. Scrambling to her feet, she stood behind the giant while Vesemir tosses a paper strip with magical incantations on the ground. The paper glowed brightly and enveloped them in blinding light. The white light disappeared instantly and the trio found themselves in front of a mansion. Stone statues of warriors bedecked in armor lined the paved road leading to the main entrance.
The witcher leaned forward slightly and pressed Junichiro's palm against the door. The door clicked and swung aside to allow the trio to enter the parlor. The parlor was empty and had few decorations. The most prominent one was a statue of an armored soldier aiming down the iron sights of his M1 Garand. A tattered, black banner with the symbol of the Marchosias clan hung on the brown walls. Walking past the statue, they entered the living room, which was divided by an open partition wall that showed the kitchen.
LED lightbulbs illuminated the room with harsh light that was quickly diminished with the light dimmer switch. The living room was modest in decorations but abundant in technology. A large 4k-LED Tv sat on top of a glass stand. Underneath the TV, various game consoles were hooked up to the TV via black HDMI cables. A bookshelf next to it contained a rack of the latest video games for each console. Across the TV were an oak coffee table, a green Lawson-style sofa, and a few recliners. Settling down on the sofa, she took in her surroundings.
"Are you hungry?" Vesmir asked. He dug through the cabinets for food.
Raynare shook her head, "No, but I would like a cup of water, please."
Grabbing a cup from the cabinet, he poured some water from a pitcher and handed it to her. "If you need anything, just shout my name and I will be down in a second." He dashed away before she could respond and the house became silent once more.
Raynare waited until she was sure no one was around her before activating the communication spell. A green magical circle spun around her ear.
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?"
The static and white noise was replaced with the tinny voice of her superior on the other end.
"Damn, that mana encryption is no joke of a security system"
"I'm inside, sir. Any additional orders?" she asked.
"No, Raynare. Observe and gather as much information as possible. Remember, this is not a Sacred Gear retrieval mission. No killing whatsoever, got it?"
She sighed heavily, "Yes, sir".
"Good. Azazel out"
The connection broke and the communication circle faded from existence. Sinking further into the sofa, she recalled the day she was summoned into the governor-general's office.
Flashback
She had been expecting the meeting the moment she murdered Issei. Grigori had strict standards for retrieving Sacred Gears from humans. Their most common targets were humans who lived in isolation and humans were at death's door. No one would know what happened to them as they were either alone or close to death.
"What's done has been done. The past cannot be changed. You know what the punishment for killing an innocent human is, right?"
Everyone in Grigori knew what it was. To attack someone other than the target meant death and they would be personally executed by Azazel himself. For a moment, Raynare considered begging her leader to spare her. But her hope of being spared crumbled away when she saw Azael pull a small dagger from his pocket. The dagger had a simple design and had no decorations engraved on it. A purple crystal ball was attached to its pommel and she could feel the raging whirlpool of magical energy inside it. The ominous aura of hunger and destruction emanating from the pommel seemed to wrap around the governor-general like an invisible billowing cloak. That same aura surrounded her in a fog that sapped her of willpower and strength.
Her knees buckled to the ground and she wheezed, gasping for air. The pressure grew tenfold and she fell to the floor. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the dagger had transformed into a golden two-pronged spear. Azazel raised the spear above his head. Closing her eyes, she accepted her punishment and heard the sharp whistle of the spear slicing through the air.
For several minutes, she waited for the inevitable death that never came. Raynare slowly opened her eyes, surprised that she was still alive. She reached for her neck and winced. There was a cut on her neck and her hand was smeared with spots of blood.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
Azazel responded by placing a photograph on his desk. A young man with jet-black hair stood over a decapitated body, the golden blade in his hands was bloody. His clothes were stained with dirt. A symbol of a wolf with griffin wings was imprinted on his hand. The words "Junichiro Marchosias" were written underneath.
"Consider your next assignment as a permanent second chance, Raynare. Monitor his movements and report back to me. I don't care how you come into contact with him, but you have to follow him as much as possible." Azazel reclined in his seat and waited for her response.
"That's it? A recon mission?" She laughed at him. This was some kind of a joke, right?
"If my suspicions are correct, then getting him on our side will make everyone fear us." He tossed three more photos on the desk. Each photo showed a different person wielding a weapon. A silver giant clad in intricate armor wielding a war hammer, a teenager with blond hair wearing a distinctive blue uniform, and an old man in black medieval-like armor. Like the first photo, the words "Eugeo Rulid" were written underneath the image of the blond teenager.
"Tell me, Raynare, do they look like your average Peerage members?"
"No. They look out of place, like aliens," she said. Azazel nodded and swiped the photos off his desk. Reaching for his drawer, he handed Raynare a square package tied with string.
"I don't know where he found these people, but given enough time, they will be a threat to us. We can't let the Devils reach him first."
The sound of heavy footsteps on the creaking staircases warned her of the new arrivals. Stepping into the living room, she saw the two formerly unconscious boys dressed in casual clothing. Both of them wore a T-shirt and shorts.
"Are you alright?" Jun asked. She nodded and motioned at him, "How about you?"
"Sore as hell," he said as he sat down into the recliner. Meanwhile, Eugeo sat down on the sofa. Scant minutes of silence passed until Jun cleared his throat.
"If you don't mind, could I ask you a few questions?"
After nodding her head, the short but swift interrogation began. Raynare answered each question as much as she could. If it was too tough to answer, she feigned the symptoms of trauma and the question would go unanswered. She was surprised at how thorough the questions were when he was interrogating her. There was always a follow-up question to the main question, which showed that Jun wanted no stone unturned.
Glancing at the clock above the TV, he stretched his arms. "It's getting late now, so I will be going to sleep." Rising from his seat, he went to leave the living room when Raynare grabbed his wrist.
"Please wait! I want to know what happened to me and who you guys are!" she pleaded. Behind her, Eugeo shot a worried glance at Jun, who mulled over her request with a slight frown. Sighing, he returned to the recliner.
"All I can say is that you were attacked by a creature that shouldn't be here," he said. He raised his hand to stop the disguised Fallen Angel from asking her questions and continued, "Creatures like the one we killed are bound to strict contracts and they are not allowed to enter Earth unless their master allows them. It is our job as monster hunters to kill them before they go on a bloody rampage."
Raynare paused and asked her question. Depending on his answer, it would tell her whether or not they knew about the other supernatural races. "So, do guys work for the Vatican or something? It sounds like a secret order of sorts".
She watched his reactions carefully as his mouth bobbed open like a fish. Clamming his mouth shut, he gave his answer, "Well, we don't work for the Vatican or any religious group. We're freelancers."
She could hear the hesitancy behind his answer as if he was unsure of explaining the group's origins to her. Without a doubt, she knew they hadn't joined the Vatican's exorcist order. It also confirmed that the devils hadn't found him yet. Satisfied with her answers, she feigned a huge yawn and rubbed her eyes. "Okay, that makes sense. I'm a bit tired now. Is it okay if I stay here for the night? I don't feel safe going back to my house after what happened tonight."
"That's fine. I will show you to your room now."
He led her up the staircase and through a long corridor. Tall metal statues of warriors stood on circular plinths on the right-hand side, their faces obscured by elaborate helmets. Opening the door, she found a set of pajamas on top of the blanket. Jun pointed to a telephone mounted on the wall, "If you need anything, just pick up the phone and I will answer it."
After the door closed, she waited for Jun's footsteps to fade away from activating the magical circle on the heel of her shoe. A small hole appeared over it and she inside to grab the package Azazel gave her. Unwrapping it, she sighed dejectedly and shook her head. "Goddamnit, Azazel," she muttered and lifted the thin, silk-like cloak overhead. A small paper note and a pair of black Nike sneakers laid inside the package and she read it.
"Prototype invisibility and aura-dampening cloak. Sound-absorbent shoes included. Use it wisely!" She ripped the note into pieces and burned them to a crisp. Slipping on the sneakers, she opened the door and crept down the corridor.
Jun's POV
"You do realize we're a bit screwed over, right?"
I suppressed an exasperated sigh and gritted my teeth as I weathered Vesemir's scolding. Currently, we were all sitting in the living room. Vesemir paced around the room while Artakha leaned against the wall. Eugeo remained sitting on the sofa and watched the debacle with fear in his eyes.
"What would you have done in my position, Vesemir?" I challenged him.
"I would have done the same thing you did without telling such vital information," the witcher countered. "We're exposed, Jun. The cat's out of the bag."
"Well, couldn't we erase her memory or something?" Eugeo offered tentatively. The blonde swordsman flinched when the Witcher locked eyes with him, the orange cat-like eyes blazed fiercely under the dim light.
"Ah, yes. A memory wipe, how convenient. Unfortunately, our dear king here lacks the ability to keep his trap shut-" Vesemir's ramble was cut short when Artakha placed his hands on the witcher's shoulders.
"That is enough, Vesemir." Artakha's voice rumbled and he dragged the witcher to a nearby recliner. "He tried to placate the girl's curiosity by giving her half-truths. We should be hoping that she has no more questions to ask."
Vesemir muttered a silent curse at the blacksmith before downing his cup of whiskey into his throat. A bell-like chime notified me of an incoming menu.
[Stray Devil Slain! Congrats!]
[ Level Up: 2 - 6. All stats increased by 8 points]
[Rewards: 1 Industrial-grade Replicator, 1 Number Generator, 1 Summon Token]
[Achievement Unlocked: Crystallization of the Legend - A Servant used their Noble Phantasm for the first time! Rewards: Weapon Drop & 1 Summon Token]
[Achievement Unlocked: KO! - Get knocked out/unconscious for the first time. Rewards: Companion Token]
[Companion Tokens allow you to summon a supporting character and is not considered a Peerage member. Therefore, you can summon an infinite number of Companions.]
Not bad for killing a stray devil, although I'm mystified by the reward for the KO! achievement. Crushing the Companion token reveals a USB stick with the word 'R' on it. Tossing the USB stick into my Inventory, I examine the Number Generator item.
[Number generator: A dice that randomly generates a number from 1-100. Assigning that number to an item increases the number of items to that number.]
Well, that might either go well or horribly for me. Rolling the dice, the number generated is 70. Immediately, I apply to the number generator item. A menu appears stating that I have 70 number generator items to use. Again, I store them in my Inventory to use later on the industrial-grade replicator.
Flipping the silver Summon Token, I decide it's time to add another member to our ranks. Vesemir groans when he sees me grinning and gets up from his seat. We quickly pass through the bunker's secret entrance and arrive in front of the catalyst room. Kneeling down on one knee, I quickly list out my criteria.
One, I needed a skilled warrior that was able to wield all kinds of weapons flawlessly. Two, I needed a loyalist, someone who was dedicated to the cause. Finally, that person had to be experienced in warfare. Someone who survived and fought in horrific battles. Once again, an invisible rope tugged on my fingers and I followed it. I dug through the debris and grabbed it. The catalyst didn't budge at all. It was too heavy for me to carry. Yelling over my shoulder, I called for the others to come help. In the end, only Artakha was able to pick it up effortlessly.
The catalyst in question was a rusted grey shoulder pauldron. Placing it on the circle, the summoning circle lit up and hummed loudly. I took a deep breath and tossed the token inside. Lightning bolts crackled and arced around the circle as a whirlwind of light surrounded the catalyst. The Gregorian chanting grew louder as the whirlwind slowly transformed into a solid pillar. The hum became a scream as the ritual reached its climax and the pillar exploded, blinding everyone in the bunker. Blinking my eyes rapidly, the multicolored dots peppering my sight disappeared and I took a good look at the person I summoned.
Immediately, I felt something wild overtake me as I scrambled away from him. It flooded my body, urging me to run away.
[Gamer's Mind activated. Nullifying the effects of passive skill 'Transhuman Dread']
At a first glance, the person was around Artakha's height. Tall and bulky, the person wore grey armor. His chest plate was adorned with a ceremonial cuirass of a bronze eagle spreading its wings to take flight. Another eagle rose from the backplate and served as a headguard. A skull was imprinted on the right knee guard while the right shoulder pauldron displayed a capital I with three vertical lines slashing through it.
The figure drew his broadsword from behind, which glittered under the light. Inscribed along the length of the blade was the words 'Libertas Rex'. Pointing the blade downward, he held the grip with both hands.
"Are you the one who summoned me, psyker?" the voice of rolling thunder was laced with distrust and suspicion when the person asked.
"Yes, I summoned you." I gasped when I saw him tower over me as he judged me with battle-weary eyes. In the blink of an eye, he had crossed the space between me and the circle in an instant.
"Say, who are you?"
Stepping away from me, he spoke with honest determination.
"I have gone with many titles in my lifetime, psyker. I am Nathaniel Garro and I am a Legiones Astartes."
And here is the fourth member of Jun's peerage, Nathaniel Garro himself! Raynare is probably freaking out from the passive skill. Now, to the comments!
Bearticguy7, IsekaiFanBoi, mangouschase1, Remzal Von Enili: Thanks for your suggestions, guys! I will see if I can try to add the characters to the story.
As always, read and review! I look forward to your feedback, whether it's good or bad.